Our Story

Big Town Printing

with a Small Town Vibe

Our story

Printing at the old man's shop in late 2013.

Whoever "they" are, they always have a lot to say. They say that every son wants to be better than his father, and that every father wants to give his son the ability to become better than he was. Well, in my case, "they" are right. Back home, in East Palestine, Ohio, my father opened a screen printing shop called Cold Duck Screen Printing. Cold Duck became well known by many in the area as the place to go for customized apparel. The business began the year I was born - in 1991 - and thrived up until 2014 when my father got sick. Seeing that business being taken from him, with no ability to fix it, was a tough pill to swallow.

Austin went off to school at Ohio State to study business. During his time "studying" he created his own clothing line that relied heavily on my father's business for printing, knowledge, and encouragement. Through highs and lows his clothing line never quite saw its full potential, but, as they say, every failure is one step closer to success.

Austin's graduation from Ohio State in the Spring of 2014 coincided with the closing of Cold Duck in a bizarre, destiny-like way. For a long time we had talked about opening a screen printing shop of our own in Columbus and now, it seemed the doors of opportunity had opened for the both of us. We knew we had the ability, knowledge, and motivation; we could combine top of the line screen printing and design techniques with excellent customer service to a community we loved and cared about.

And so we are. Pop's Printed Apparel - a tribute to my father and the lessons he had passed along to us - is opening on Monday, January 12, 2015. We're dedicated to providing that same familiar, small town service you found in my dad's shop, except in a big university-city setting. We're excited to tackle the challenge of creating something that doesn't really exist in the University District today. Even more, we're excited to meet all of you and lend a hand with whatever it is you're working on.

I sometimes sit and I wonder if, when my father was sitting where I am now, he ever knew the actions he put forth then would have such an impact on his son. I'm sure he knows now. Here's to you, Pops.